Tolerating Disrespect
John 16:33 “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”
Many Christians confuse “forgiveness” with thinking that God wants them to be tolerant of people who mistreat them. The belief is that if they are a “true” Christian then they will always “turn the other cheek.” However, that is not the correct interpretation of the verse found in Matthew 5:39: “But I say to you, do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.” If you look at this verse in the context of allowing yourself to be mistreated, that would actually be encouraging bad behavior. And that is not God’s intent. He wants you to be respectful of others, but He also wants you to be respected as well. It’s degrading to yourself and lowers your self-worth when you let people roll right over you. Someone once said, “Never tolerate disrespect. The more chances you give someone, the less respect they’ll start to have for you. They’ll begin to ignore the standards that you’ve set because they’ll know another chance will always be given. They’re not afraid to lose you because they know that no matter what you won’t walk away. They get comfortable with depending on your forgiveness. Never let a person get comfortable disrespecting you.” God wants you to help your fellow man have a closer relationship with Him, but that doesn’t mean enabling someone to keep hurting you. When you allow someone to disrespect you, you are really saying it’s okay to keep doing it. Setting your boundaries is necessary for any healthy relationship. Jesus said it best in Matthew 22:37-39: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’” Learn to love others as you would love yourself, and always treat them in a Christlike way.
Text: 2 Timothy 3:1-5, 1 Peter 2:17, Romans 13:7, Philippians 2:3-4
© Brenda Walsh Ministries www.brendawalsh.com